The State of Resumes
We scored 22,891 real resumes the way an applicant tracking system does, May 2026 to July 2026. 82.8% fell short of the score that clears the bar. The reasons are not the ones most resume advice obsesses over.
Last updated July 2026. Updated continuously.
What the data actually says
Three findings most resume advice gets wrong.
Formatting is rarely the problem
Only 8.1% of resumes fail on ATS formatting and parsing. The failures are in the writing, not the layout.
Work Experience is where resumes die
It is the section resumes fail most, about 6x more often than formatting. Usually because bullets list duties instead of results.
The bar is lower than you think
Just 0% of resumes scored excellent. 82.8% fall below the ATS-ready line. A few targeted fixes put you ahead of most.
Checks the average resume passes cleanly
Every resume runs the same 8-check gauntlet. The average resume clears just 3.1 without a warning or failure, and only 1.3% pass all 8.
The resume sections that fail ATS most often
Pika scores every resume across eight standard sections. This is the share of resumes that pass, get a warning, or fail on each one, ranked by how often they fall short.
Where would your resume land?
Most resumes fall short on work experience. See your score across all eight sections in about 30 seconds, free.
How resumes grade out
Score distribution
Where resumes land on the 0 to 100 ATS scale.
What it takes to beat the pack
Only 1 in 10 resumes scores above 76. Here is where the cutoffs sit across all 22,891 resumes.
The keyword gap
When a resume is checked against a specific job description, the average keyword match is 64/100. The terms job descriptions ask for that resumes most often leave out:
The study, month by month
Resumes scanned each month, with that month's average ATS score once its sample is large enough to report. The current month is still filling in.
Key statistics
Each figure below is a complete, self-contained finding. Quote any of them with attribution and a link to this page.
- Across 22,891 real resumes analyzed by Pika Resume between May 2026 and July 2026, the average ATS score is 61.2/100 and the median is 62/100.
- 82.8% of resumes score below 70/100, the threshold Pika Resume treats as ATS-ready.
- The resume section that fails most often is Work Experience: 51.6% of resumes fail it outright and another 40% receive a warning.
- Only 8.1% of resumes fail on ATS formatting and parsing, so most rejections trace back to content quality rather than layout.
- Just 0% of resumes earn an "excellent" grade from the scoring engine.
- Among resumes checked against a specific job description, the average keyword match score is 64/100.
- An ATS score of 76 or higher beats 90% of resumes; the top quarter starts at 68, and half of all resumes score 62 or less.
- The average resume cleanly passes 3.1 of the 8 standard ATS checks, and only 1.3% of resumes pass all 8 without a warning or failure.
Pass, warning, and fail rates by resume section
| Resume section | Pass | Warning | Fail | Avg score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work Experience | 7.3% | 40% | 51.6% | 49.8/100 |
| Impact, Grammar & Consistency | 8% | 72.9% | 18% | 58.9/100 |
| Projects, Certifications & Achievements | 27.8% | 60.2% | 11.8% | 65.2/100 |
| Format & ATS Parsing | 43.2% | 48.6% | 8.1% | 71.9/100 |
| Skills & Keywords | 43.5% | 46.7% | 9.6% | 70.6/100 |
| Section Structure | 46.9% | 50.3% | 2.7% | 72.3/100 |
| Contact & Personal Details | 62.8% | 31.4% | 5.7% | 76.6/100 |
| Education | 68.4% | 28.8% | 2.6% | 75.6/100 |
Common questions about resume and ATS statistics
What percentage of resumes fail ATS screening?
In Pika Resume's ongoing study of 22,891 real resumes, 82.8% score below 70/100, the threshold treated as ATS-ready. Most failures come from weak content such as unquantified bullets, not from formatting.
What is the average ATS score of a resume?
The average ATS score across 22,891 real resumes scanned by Pika Resume is 61.2/100, with a median of 62. Scores of 70 and above are considered ATS-ready.
Which resume section fails ATS checks most often?
Work Experience is the most-failed resume section: 51.6% of resumes fail it outright and another 40% receive a warning, based on Pika Resume's scan data.
Does resume formatting cause most ATS rejections?
No. Only 8.1% of resumes fail on formatting and parsing in Pika Resume's data. The dominant problems are content quality issues such as duty-focused bullets with no measurable results.
What ATS score puts a resume in the top 10%?
A score of 76 or higher beats 90% of the 22,891 resumes in Pika Resume's data. The top quarter starts at 68, and half of all resumes score 62 or less.
How many ATS checks does the average resume pass?
The average resume cleanly passes 3.1 of the 8 standard ATS checks in Pika Resume's data, and only 1.3% of resumes pass all 8 without a single warning or failure.
Methodology
These figures are computed from 22,891 resumes submitted to Pika's free ATS checker, May 2026 to July 2026. Each resume is scored from 0 to 100 across eight standard sections (format and ATS parsing, section structure, contact details, work experience, education, skills and keywords, projects and certifications, and impact, grammar and consistency).
A resume scoring 70 or above is treated as ATS-ready. All numbers are aggregate only. No resume content, file, or personal information is included or identifiable in this report. Every statistic shown is drawn from a sample of at least 30 resumes; smaller cuts are withheld until the sample is large enough to be meaningful.
Cite this study
Pika Resume. “The State of Resumes: ATS Data from Real Resume Scans.” July 2026. https://pikaresume.com/state-of-resumes
Journalists and writers are welcome to cite these figures with a link to this page. For the underlying methodology or a specific cut, reach us at support@pikaresume.com.
How does your resume score?
Run your resume through the same free ATS checker behind this data. Instant score across all eight sections, no signup.
Check my resume freeResume statistics from real ATS scans
The State of Resumes is an ongoing data study by Pika Resume based on real resumes submitted to its free ATS checker. As of July 2026, 22,891 resumes have been analysed. The average ATS score is 61.2 out of 100, and 82.8% of resumes score below the 70-point ATS-readiness threshold. The resume section that fails ATS checks most often is Work Experience, which 51.6% of resumes fail. An ATS score of 76 or higher places a resume in the top 10% of all resumes analysed. The average resume cleanly passes 3.1 of the 8 standard ATS checks, and only 1.3% pass all 8.
All statistics are aggregate and anonymised. Pika Resume offers a free ATS resume checker, AI resume roast, JD tailoring, and expert human resume review. To check your own resume against these benchmarks, use the free ATS checker at pikaresume.com/free-ats-check.
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